The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan

You’d honestly think that reading a book about plants would be as about as exciting as, well, watching the grass grow. Fortunately, I long ago learned to expect better things from Michael Pollan. In his book, The Botany of Desire, he categorizes four plants and how human desire shaped their evolution, genetic sprawl, and guaranteed their success in the modern world.

There areapples for sweetness, tulips for beauty, marijuana for intoxication, and potatoes for control.

Basically, because each of these plants provided something that we wanted and/or needed, they ensured their own survival based on the roles they filled in human life. Pollan definitely taught me something along the way:

A rare color strain of tulip, worth thousands of dollars to the medieval Dutch, was actually caused by a flower-killing virus/mutation.

Potatoes are one of the first (and most successful) genetically modified crops–Monsanto having produced a type that emits its own insecticide.

Crazy stuff.

I really enjoyed TBOD, and Pollan has yet again managed to be informative without being boring. He’s almost like that cool teacher you had in high school that somehow snuck learning into your curriculum without you realizing it.

4 pot leafs of 5

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About Chelsea McDonald

As an avid reader since I was big enough to hold a book, I continue to enjoy losing myself in the thrall of a good story on a daily basis. Since many of my cohorts do not share the same passion, Cracking Spines will be the perfect outlet to express my adulation or frustration concerning the books that cross my path. In this way, my loyal followers will be able to enjoy the stories that are worthwhile and avoid the duds altogether.
I also have a Shelfari account at http://www.shelfari.com/chelseamcdonald15
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